By Dave and Kathy Simpson

“You must understand,” Nedko insisted, “Bulgarian people are not very religious. But they are very superstitious!” We hardly needed this reminder when we had the following three conversations in the span of five days. We told an inquisitive taxi driver that we were working with the Bulgarian Evangelical Church of God. He excitedly responded, “My woman attends an evangelical congregation. But I am Orthodox. See, I have my icons hanging here. And I always wear this bracelet with thirty-three beads [representing the years Jesus was on earth]. These give me protection; they keep me safe.

By Marcy Miranda - San Antonio Express-News

Volunteers at the San Antonio Children’s Museum are hardly unusual, especially in the summer, said Lynne Lee, the museum’s volunteer coordinator. But volunteers from Canada, in San Antonio for a weeklong convention, are much harder to come by.

More than 1,700 young volunteers in town for the International Youth Convention of the Church of God took to the city on Wednesday as part of IMPACT San Antonio, an event convention organizers created to encourage giving back.

By Marcy Miranda
Courtesy of San Antonio Express-News 

In a massive hall at the Convention Center, more than 5,000 chairs are set facing the stage, making a half-circle. Several mirrors are placed on the periphery of the chairs, and as young Christians and their counselors listen to inspirational speakers delivering the Scriptures, the mirrors return the main theme organizers are trying to deliver: to reflect.

For students attending this year's International Youth Convention of the Church of God, the week will be spent making new friends, finding ways to be more in tune with their faith, and making changes in their lives to put them closer to God, said Andy Stephenson, lead organizer for the convention. Thousands of students from across the nation are in San Antonio for the week participating in the convention, which happens every two years in a different city.

Church of God Ministries accepted the resignation of Dale and Connie Fillmore as career missionaries to Brazil, effective June 13, 2008.

Dale Fillmore has turned in his ministerial credentials to Indiana Ministries.

Please pray for the Lord's leading in the life of the Fillmores as they make their career transition.

Church of God Ministries has a simple and free gift that you can use in your church services. Click here to download, from the Church of God Ministries Web site, announcement slides for use in your worship.

One set is traditional in design; the other set is more contemporary. Each set has two slides. The first slide is a general welcome message. The second slide can be copied as many times as you wish to use as a background for announcements.

Capturing vision, translating mission, discerning need, facilitating change: the five transformational teams are providing resources for every individual, every congregation, and every agency to aid in the accomplishment of the Five Strategic Goals.

Led by the Holy Spirit and in collaboration with each other, the transformational teams, made up of area administrators, pastors, and Church of God Ministries staff, gathered together to focus their creative energies in order to provide you with a storehouse of resources to help you ignite, permeate, free, cultivate, and refresh the Kingdom.